Your second week of midterms at NYU is fast approaching. A dark, dreary period in your life is about to eclipse those fun-filled nights of college bliss. I hate to be a downer, but the next few weeks will be rough. I promise you, however, that you will survive!

Eating right during midterms week is one way to keep from going totally insane. “Eating right” doesn’t necessarily mean health food in this case. It means being happy and content and full of delicious things so you can focus on studying! So say the nutritional theories of Dr. John Kwiatkowski, trained at the University of Excess and Gluttony. But in all seriousness, while it’s important to eat moderately healthy during finals, occasional indulgence will make you a much happier (and hence, more productive) student!

Thankfully, Founders is surrounded by an array of remarkable and (mostly) affordable restaurants that will deliver right to your… okay, fine, not doorstep, but close enough. Tell your parents that Dr. John Kwiatkowski informed you that dining hall food is limiting your academic potential, and that your incidental food budget needs a bit of a boost. They’ll understand, I swear*. Eating that weird Third North stir fry when studying for your Bio final has been proven to be 14 times* less effective than ordering takeout from the following stars of the East Village delivery world:

* Unverified Sources

1. S’mac: Short for Sarita’s Mac + Cheese, this 12th Street staple has every kind of everyone’s favorite comfort food. Whether you want to be classy with the Parisienne (brie, figs, and mushrooms) or get down with your Midwestern roots with the Cheeseburger, S’Mac has something for everyone. Everyone that likes noodles and cheese, that is. It’s on 12th Street, but several avenues away, so definitely worth having it delivered. Right? Right.

345 East 12th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)

Phone: (212) 358-7912

2. Quantum Leap: Looking for something satisfying but vegetarian? Quantum Leap’s enormous specialty burgers are out of this world, and best of all, VEGETARIAN! The soups and the sweet potato fries are also phenomenal. There is a $20 delivery minimum, but with one veggie burger accomplice, that’s an easy minimum to meet. I recommend the Big Leap Burger, with onion rings, avocado slices, cheddar cheese, and chipotle barbeque sauce! Yum!

203 First Avenue

Phone: (212) 673-9848

3. Suzie’s: Sick of questionable, greasy Chinese food? Suzie’s is all the way down on Bleecker Street, but has a huge delivery range. It almost defies sense how quickly they arrive considering how far away the restaurant is. This is top shelf Chinese food. Suzie’s was even voted one of the top ten Chinese restaurants in the entire country! I recommend the General Tso’s Chicken (which has a lot more white meat than the standard variety), or the beef with broccoli! For the vegetarians, General Tso’s soy protein will rock your world.

163 Bleecker Street

Phone: (212) 777-1395

I hope these fine establishments will make studying for finals less excruciating. Studying for exams and writing final papers with a full and happy stomach is one route (coupled with organization and rest!) to academic success! If one of these places doesn’t appeal to your discerning tastebuds, check out menus and reviews of delivery food on www.yelp.com. It’s an excellent resource to discern which restaurants are worth your precious time and money, and which ones make dining hall pasta taste like Babbo.